This invention generally relates to a vehicle transmission assembly having a power take off gear attached to the outside of an inner housing member.
In some automotive vehicle transmissions, a power take off gear is provided on the outside of a clutch housing member. In most instances the power take off gear is welded onto the outside of the clutch housing member. While such an arrangement has proven useful for many applications, it is not without shortcomings and drawbacks. For example, a welding process typically includes the formation of a flash on the exterior of the clutch housing that must be removed. Introducing an additional step of removing the undesirable flash during the manufacturing process adds additional labor and expense. Another shortcoming of welded arrangements is that the welding process can weaken or otherwise compromise the integrity of the clutch housing and/or the power take off gear especially when the welding process is not accurately or properly performed. A further difficulty is sometimes encountered when a secure weld is not achieved.
There is a need for an assembly process and an arrangement that results in a more efficient and reliable configuration. This invention addresses those needs by providing a transmission assembly that overcomes the drawbacks and shortcomings of the conventional arrangements.
In general terms, this invention is a transmission assembly having an inner housing member and an outer band member. The outer band member can be, for example, a power take off gear. The inner housing member preferably includes a plurality of circumferentially spaces splines on an inner surface of the housing member. An inner surface of the outer band member includes a plurality of notches. The outer band member is slid over the outer surface of the inner housing member and the two pieces are placed in a desired axial and radial alignment. A plurality of deformations are then formed in the inner housing member that protrude radially outward into the notches of the inner band member. The deformations preferably are lanced, using a lancing tool that acts upon the interior of the inner housing member. The placement of the deformations within the notches on the outer band member serves to maintain the outer band member in a proper axial and radial alignment with the inner housing member.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be described as follows.